Employers must address ‘fear of becoming obsolete’ as AI reshapes the workplace
Rhea-AI Summary
WTW (WTW) released its 2026 Employee Experience Global Market Study showing AI is increasing employees’ ‘fear of becoming obsolete.’ Employers expect work handled by automation and digital tools to rise from 14% today to 31% within three years, reshaping how employee experience is delivered.
WTW promotes a High Impact Employee Experience (HIEX) built on four conditions: clarity, confidence, capability and connection. Organizations that sustained employee experience as a priority, labeled EX Leaders, reported a 23% profit increase, 8% one-year revenue growth and stronger workforce outcomes.
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News Market Reaction – WTW
In the Jun 9 session, WTW gained 1.18%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
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New insights show how a stronger employee experience can turn anxiety into confidence
NEW YORK, June 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Employers face a growing challenge as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how work is done, with new research from WTW highlighting a rise in the ‘fear of becoming obsolete’ among employees.
WTW’s 2026 Employee Experience (EX) Global Market Study points to a widening gap between the pace of technological change and employee readiness. While AI adoption is accelerating rapidly, many organizations are not yet equipped to support their workforce through the transition.
According to the study,
The study finds that this creates fertile ground for employees to fear they will become obsolete, as they question their relevance in a more automated workplace.
To counter this, WTW has identified the need for employers to shift from only measuring employee engagement, as an indicator of how people feel about their work and their willingness to give effort, to employee impact, as a measure of how effectively people execute and adapt to deliver results.
To achieve this, employers can design a deliberate High Impact Employee Experience (HIEX). This approach focuses on building trust, developing skills and providing clarity about how roles will evolve alongside technology. Specifically there are four enabling conditions that are most closely linked to achieving a HIEX:
- Clarity – knowing what matters and why. Employees understand priorities, decision rights, and how their work connects to strategy
- Confidence – Believing decisions make sense and support is there. This leads to trust in leadership decisions and belief in how change is managed
- Capability – having the skills, tools and readiness to adapt to enable current performance and future transformation
- Connection – feeling valued, recognised and part of something meaningful, that sustains performance over time
The rewards for organizations that achieve High Impact Employee Experience are clear. The study shows that the
EX Leaders are more likely be delivering on the 4 conditions and achieving superior business outcomes, such as
These Employee Experience leaders are more likely to identify their employees as high impact, with
“Employers have a powerful opportunity to strengthen trust, protect employee wellbeing and help people thrive through change,” said Jill Havely, Global Employee Experience Leader at WTW.
“Employees aren’t just watching AI reshape work, they’re feeling it, living it and questioning how they’ll fit in the future. Organizations that intentionally design an employee experience to address this anxiety can replace uncertainty with confidence and help people see a future where they still matter.”
About the Survey
WTW’s 2026 Employee Experience Global Market Study was conducted in April 2026. 549 respondents completed the survey globally covering 5.6 million employees at responding organizations.
About WTW
At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance.
Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you. Learn more at wtwco.com.
Media contacts:
Ileana Feoli
Ileana.feoli@wtwco.com
